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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: clip · stock · wake · bank · ruler · bulb · bowl · kid

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. kid — child
  5. stock — goods
  6. clip — to cut
  7. bulb — for light
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bank — for money
  11. clip — for paper
  12. kid — to tease
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bank — of a river
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wake — a trail
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. clip — a video
  21. bank — for money
  22. stock — shares
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — for measuring

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com